With the development of the Internet, many activities traditionally conducted in person can now be carried out online. Exchanging gifts on special occasions, such as holidays, anniversaries, or birthdays, can be done electronically via email, or other online social network platforms. For example, one user may pick out an electronic card or a virtual present (e.g., virtual flowers) from an online database provided by a host, specify the email address or username of the recipient, and have the selected electronic card or virtual present sent to the selected recipient via email or a notification on the social network platform. The problem with these online gifts is that they become less interesting to the recipients over time because there is no intrinsic real-world value in these virtual gifts and cards.
Sometimes, a gift of actual monetary value can be sent from one user to another user in the form of a financial transaction (e.g., an account transfer using an online payment platform). In such cases, the sender has to specify the exact amount of the transfer and the exact identity of the recipient in order to complete the transaction. The problem of these monetary gifts is that the sender has to spend a lot of time and trouble to provide the details of the financial transaction, and there is little fun and sentiment expressed in these plain monetary transfers. There are also no real interactions between the sender and recipient of the gift, making the sender less motivated to send such a gift.
Thus, these conventional online gifting methods are dull, cumbersome, and non-interactive, and are inadequate in address the needs to online gifting among people today.